Solfyre: The Escape
by KShaye
Summary: Kaisa never thought her life would end up this way. She doesn't know who to trust or what to trust. She feels shattered and cold. Dying would definitely be easier but she's never caught a break, so why would she now? It's a story about persecution, incarceration, and the escape.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

A woman Kaisa has never laid eyes upon is force-fed every day. She is kept in a room down the hall. In the mornings you can hear her sobs followed by a door slamming shut as a disgruntled 'Pant leaves her room. This begins a countdown of five door slams until the 'Pant reaches Kaisa's shared room. She must be out of bed and clothed before then or else her and her cells mate would be eating their breakfast off the floor.

SLAM.

Kaisa is in no rush this morning for she is already dressed.

SLAM.

'She' woke Kaisa early by wrapping her warm body around her's. This, however, was not what caused Kaisa to bolt upright with red cheeks. Every night 'She' slips under Kaisa's covers neglecting 'Her' own bed. What was so shocking was the feel of 'Her' nude flesh under her fingers when Kaisa wrapped an arm around 'Her' waist. All 'She' did was chuckle and pull the girl down beside 'Her' where she was encased in naked arms.

SLAM.

Cheeks aflame, Kaisa stayed awake as 'She' drifted off.

 _We are going to get out of here._

SLAM.

'She' never wakes at the sound of doors slamming. It is always Kaisa who must kiss 'Her' awake. A memory drifts across the girl's weary mind… ' **She' smiles, "If you want me up, you'll have to lay one on, otherwise, I sleep as long as I want."**

SLAM.

Kaisa untangles herself from 'Her' limp, burning arms. Such words were exchanged between the two women within their first week together. 'She' had instantly become enamored by Kaisa. It was such bold interest and latent attention that prevented Kaisa from taking her own life. There was no more privacy.

 _She knows all._

Kaisa is standing in front of the door when the 'Pant walks in. He is holding two trays that Kaisa quickly snatched from him before he can toss them to the ground. It was the same practiced dance every day only the song changed.

"Good day."

"Careful pet, the Boss wouldn't like to see us chatting. She caught Byron the other day with Stacy."

The gruff man walked around the room his fingers running along the surface of the small desk she had positioned in the corner by the 'window'.

"Tonight, I will come visit you and 'er, pet, so don't barricade the door like you did the one time." Kaisa rolled her eyes in response.

 _Of course, he would choose to bring that up. In my defense, the new meds Dr. Wyzel put me on made me extra paranoid._

His voice was very hushed when he said this. Fingers pulling on the air vent on the floor by my bed, he exclaimed loudly, "You 'aven't been messin' 'round with 'ere vent, 'ave yous? I'll come back with me tools later, can't 'ave you gettin' out." With this he stood and walked to the door. His eyes are sad, but not pitying.

"Good day, Kaisa."

The door slams shut and the electronic lock makes a depressing click. Ms. Malvic must have bugged the 'Pants again. Now that the Human Rights Activists had moved on to other facilities there was no reason for her to play nice. She had regressed back to her true, evil nature. In fact, now she's worse than before. Kaisa could see why Vic was taking precaution.

Kaisa's eyes glanced to 'Her' slender frame still fast asleep in the shared bed. It is true that 'She' won't wake unless Kaisa kisses 'Her'. 'She' is truly that stubborn. Once she had simply refused to kiss 'Her' and 'She' had slept for two whole days. Eventually, Kaisa had succumbed partially due to lonliness and partially because the Doctors were considering "putting her down and getting rid of just another problem". It had made the young girl furious. Well, as furious as she could be under the influence of suppressants.

Kaisa grabbed the blanket off the abandoned bed and spread it out on the floor before putting the trays down. The furniture in the room was lacking a table and the desk was not large enough to be a substitute. Thus, the two tended to eat stretched out on the cold stone floor. Kaisa never ate with this much formality before her cell mate. There was no reason to. 'She' was the first and only to room with Kaisa. No one else in the facility was allowed to have a companion. The Boss allowed it because without 'Her' Kaisa was aggressive and beyond difficult to control. Whispers that drift from inmate to inmate often speak of Ms. Malvic having a fascination with a particular female inmate… No one dares to say who they believe it to be. Either out of respect or out of fear is unknown.

The mattress compressed under the pressure of the girl's knees and hands as Kaisa approached 'Her'. She tossed her leg over her cellmate and shifted into a straddle. The thin blanket hid 'Her' nude form. For a while, Kaisa simply observed. Eyes flitting over the way 'She' laid on 'Her' back, a hand fisted in 'Her' hair. Kaisa's eyes study 'Her' slumbering face.

A burning spreads though out Kaisa and she places her hands on the sides of the woman's head. The girl leaned down and her cold, clammy lips collide with 'Her' warm ones.

 _Spice…_

 _And warmth._

Soon 'Her' body begins to move beneath Kaisa's. Twin gasps escape parted lips. A beautiful sound of surprise fills the air. 'Her' body arches, bursting forth with life.

 _… like mother's moonflowers…_

Yes, 'She' was such flowers blooming under silver glow. 'She' is born from the light that only presents itself in the darkness. In a way, this is much like the two women's relationship. The darkness that clings to the facility was pierced by the glow that was Kaisa to bring forth the bloom in 'Her'. To make 'Her' into the flower that Kaisa will one day pluck.

'Her' arms wrap around the girl's waist pulling her down under the woman. This caused a bright red glow to Kaisa's cheeks as the blanket no longer hid 'Her' body. The kiss had ended to draw air into starved lungs. 'Her' hand rose up to stroke raven hair.

"Why so shy? This is nothing you haven't seen before."

Had Kaisa met the woman's eyes she would have seen 'She' was smiling. It was true what 'She' was saying. Kaisa had seen her naked during shower time, getting dressed and strip-searches… but for some reason this was different. The context was something darker… more lustful.

With a final chuckle 'Her' smile turned into a determined look. 'She' kissed the girl's chilled forehead and her eyes fluttered shut. 'She' loved Kaisa's eyes. They did not hide the girl's true nature with their burnt orange hue flecked with amber. Despite the girl's current submissive behavior her eyes were feline, predatory and framed with long dark lashes. 'Her' thumb grazed the skin beneath such eyes that were rimmed red no doubt from lack of sleep. Kaisa's mind was dark and powerful and tended to keep her up.

 _…I keep her up sometimes too…_

"I have made a promise to get you out of here and I will make good on that promise, Adara." Those words are what Kaisa clings to every time she is scheduled for electrotherapy or carted to the doctor's office for a physical that left her feeling dirty. Filled with a sense of security, the raven beauty leaned up to press a chaste kiss of 'Her' lips. That name, Adara, only 'She' called Kaisa by such. The woman had begun referring to the girl by such when she found out Kaisa possessed soulfyre.

 **"Kaisa is no name for such a rare and fiery creature with the likes of you. You need a name that is fire. You will be my Adara."**

Never once did Kaisa argue against the new name. Had her life been different Kaisa would have been given a fire name instead of hiding behind an ice name. Majority of the population would continue to call Kaisa by Kaisa but that was quite fine as she was 'Her' Adara.

"Come, get up. I'll get dressed and then we will eat." 'She' shimmied off Kaisa and shuffled over to the small chest in the corner. 'Her' grace and fluidity had the ravenette enrapt. Muscles coiled and rippling like a snake 'She' shimmied into a thin linen dress. Kaisa never saw 'Her' smirk since the woman was turned away from her. 'She' knew the younger woman liked to watch 'Her' get dressed. The woman loved the attention and often would sway her hips a little more as 'She' walked or roll 'Her' shoulders so that the muscles bunched. Kaisa's gaze was never truly lustful. It was a gaze full of innocent adoration with perhaps just a hint of attraction. That didn't mean that Kaisa wasn't attracted to her cell mate. The young woman quite liked the kisses, the cuddling, and the gliding of fingers over bodies. However, her actions weren't driven by carnal urges that you sometimes saw in the eyes of other cell mates. The feeling wasn't love, not quite yet, but it was this feeling Kaisa experienced that made all the better meal for the woman.

"Did Vic come today? I've been trying to track the rotations for the council." 'She' shrugged on a deep red sweater and untucked her hair before turning to Kaisa.

"Um… yes, he did. I have reason to believe Madmoiselle Malvic is bugging them again. The rotation might change now too."

'She' frowned and buttoned the sweater. This, of course, was not for 'Her' sake but Kaisa's. In about ten minutes, 'She' will complain that 'She' likes the young woman's light grey sweater more and beg to trade. 'She' knows Kaisa would never take 'Her' sweater without good cause. The young woman feared for 'Her' health which was sweet but stupid since 'Her' core temperature was a lot warmer than 98.6 degrees and 'She' was immune to any non-magical illnesses. The woman knows that Kaisa is constantly frozen stiff when in facility walls due to her condition. Therefore, 'She' found a loophole. It seemed 'She' always knew when Kaisa's sweater was no longer warm and the pair would repeatedly switch throughout the day.

"Why would the rotations change if she is just going back to her usual bitchy self?" The two sat down on the blanket and began eating the same breakfast that was serve to them every day. Kaisa took a bite of dry toast not necessarily hungry but needing the extra time to collect herself to voice her concerns to the woman she spends her literal every waking moment with. It was when swallowing the bread proved to be difficult with the lump in her throat that she realized delaying would not make this any easier for either of them.

"Do you remember when Stacy told you, well us, that she had found someone? Someone special, that is. Remember she wouldn't tell you what they looked like or their name?"

'She' looked up from the bowel of mush that was supposed to pass for oatmeal with a curious and playful glint in her eye. Stacy had made her secret a game of sorts for 'Her'. During Rec. time, if more important matters were not to be discussed, Stacy would have 'Her' guess who her suitor was across a game of illegal poker. It was a sacred time meant to make the both of them forget where they were and act like girls in their twenties again. Perhaps, this was so hard for Kaisa to share because the girls, while not bonded over trials and blood, were close.

"Yeah, of course. How come?"

Kaisa watched as the playfulness ebbed away and way replaced with concern and she swallowed around the lump once more. Her tongue felt like lead in her mouth and she fought hard to find the words and no, they weren't in English, but it was the best she could do.

"Elle aime… adors Monsieur Byron. Or… she did? Um," Kaisa licked her lips and blinked away tears. "Mademoiselle Malvic a compris ce qu'ils faissent. Je pense… je pense qu'ils pourraient etre… morts." A more than inappropriate laugh fell from Kaisa's lips before a strangled moan that brought a torrent of tears and harsh sobs. Stacy had been a good friend and an even better ally and Kaisa could appreciate the relationship she had with her cell mate. She still didn't think it was her place to show so much emotion when 'She' had more reason to grieve, so Kaisa tried to hide her sorrow in her hands. This action was what had the older woman reacting after such a shock. Having known Kaisa for what seemed like two and a half years now 'She' knew how the younger girl would handle a situation like this. More than likely she would feel sad, then feel guilty for feeling sad, then feel angry for feeling guilty before the cycle would repeat, with varying levels of intensity. The older woman held bore no ill-will towards Kaisa. Grieving was healthy and different for everyone. 'She' found it easiest to pull through hard times when 'She' felt useful. This often meant 'She' would take extra care of 'Her' Adara during hard times.

Dishes clanged when 'She' dropped them before gathering the young girl in 'Her' arms. 'She' rocked and cooed into the ravenette's ear. Most of which were sweet nothings until Kaisa's breathing began to slow, not back to normal, but not on the verge of hyperventilating. It was then 'She' tried to reason with her.

"Oh, Adara. Hush, hush. We can't possibly be sure of that until we see the bodies ourselves. For all we know Stacy could have been transferred or tossed into solitary for a few weeks. I know it doesn't sound pleasant but… it's better than the alternatives."

Small, frozen fingers curled into the front of 'Her' linen dress instantly warmed by 'Her' blazing skin. 'She' rocked and Kaisa sobbed and 'Her' voice continued to carry sweet nothings. It wasn't the words that mattered at the moment but the sound of 'Her' voice and the warm puffs of air being blown across Kaisa's neck which helped calm her. The dismal breakfast had been abandoned.

All the while 'She' felt concern and sympathy for Kaisa's loss as 'She' cradled the girl to 'Her'. Little did she know that the tears Kaisa shed were not completely for Stacy. No, a good deal of the salty drops were shed for herself. Kaisa hated that she was being so selfish but she couldn't prevent her mind from producing the thoughts. In her mind if Stacy was dead she was better off. Especially if her lover was also deceased. It meant they were both free from these cold dead walls and brutish ways. That the two could love and be loved without hiding, without fear. Kaisa cried because 'She' was still here. Kaisa cried because 'She' was still here because of Kaisa.

Had her cell mate only been tasked with getting herself out 'She' would have been long gone years ago. However, 'She' had become attached to Kaisa and with Kaisa came the people Kaisa was attached to. Again, the woman held no ill-will towards Kaisa for caring, but Kaisa didn't understand this even after much reassuring. With that the ravenette still lost many hours of sleep thinking about how much of a burden she was to 'Her'. Hours spent thinking on how 'Her' warmth didn't fit this frigid world she found herself trapped in. It was in these hours that a decision was made.

 _Whatever may come 'She' must escape._

Kaisa leaned away and swiped at her eyes. That was enough self-wallowing for the day. She noticed the breakfast was cold and neither of them had barely eaten a thing. Not as though that would deter them from eating it later.

 _Later…_

Kaisa listened for noises in the hall but there were none other than the wailing of the woman who had recently been force-fed. This meant they still had time before 'Pants would come to escourt them to Church then, if their behavior was up to par, the Rec. room. That's where the inmates swapped information and small items that could be smuggled. All this was done as discretely as possible obviously. If anyone was found out by one of the many authority figures they would become one of the medicated. Don't be fooled. Almost everyone was drugged but not everyone was medicated. There was a difference. Those who were drugged could still operate fairly well and by that they were able to answer certain questions and perform simple tasks. The medicated on the other hand could not move on their own or speak. Often drool dribbled down their chins and their eyes would stare back lifeless. No one wanted to become a medicated.

"We still have some time before the 'Pants come. Do you think you could hold me while I lay down? I can't say I really slept well last night." The question was quiet and timid but the slight quip at the end managed to lighten the air if only slightly.

'She' nodded then smiled and laughed, "How could you possibly know that we still have time?" Before Kaisa could make a move to disengage from 'Her' she was being lifted from the ground in slender, muscled arms. 'She' showed no sign of strain at the action. 'Her' face was serene and loving. This was not lost on Kaisa. She wasn't fat but Kaisa knew her athletic frame wasn't necessarily light. Especially, since the girl stood at 5'9" and yet 'She' cradled her as though she were a small child. It was comforting.

Shaking herself from her daze, Kaisa fixed a smirk on her face trying to keep the conversation light and playful. "Unlike some people I have amazing senses due to not being human." Kaisa knew 'She' wasn't human but she was teasing the older woman in an effort to keep her mind off… other matters. 'She' pouted. Her plan was clearly working.

"Hey, I have incredible senses!" 'She' sat Kaisa carefully on the bed and crawled under the covers after her. They laid there facing each other breathing the same air. Not quite touching but still drawing strength from one another.

Kaisa rolled her eyes and her smirk twitched into a grin. "Doesn't mean shit when you can't use those incredible senses. Shouldn't have bragged so much."

It was 'Her' turn to roll 'Her' eyes, "It's not my fault those jealous assholes keep me on those fucking suppressants." Kaisa stroked 'Her' pouty bottom lip and watched as shivers racked 'Her' spine at the small contact. She wanted to lean in and nip at that lip but instead Kaisa's jaw unhinged as she yawned.

"Here, roll over, I got you."

Kaisa anticipated what happened next. A clash between two bodies, one warm and one cold. The older woman wrapped her arms around the younger and buried 'Her' face in her hair. 'She' inhaled the smokey scent of Kaisa, relaxing instantly.

The story was not the same for the younger woman. Right now, if she closed her eyes Kaisa could pretend they were in the French countryside, having a lazy day or well, lazy night. She could imagine the two of them free to do and be whatever, whenever. Living exceptionally exciting lives together on the outside. If Kaisa closed her eyes all the cold despair would disappear and bliss would remain. This terrified the young girl into keeping her eyes open. For no matter how beautiful, a dream is still just a dream and when she opened her eyes the two women would still be stuck here, in the facility.

 _'She' will still be here._

There it was. The first dark thought that would build into a twisted, evil war within Kaisa's mind. No matter, how many times the older woman proved herself Kaisa would still doubt as to why anyone would want her. Often she felt 'She' was only this way with Kaisa because 'She' felt guilty, maybe even sorry for the younger girl. Sometimes she would start to think 'She' actually might love her.

It was times like that Kaisa would berate herself for being so hopeful. She knew from experience that hope was dangerous and yet there she would go again. However, believing in 'Her' was the only thing Kaisa had left anymore. 'She' kept Kaisa breathing on 'Her' life support but ultimately 'She' will be the one to pull the plug.

When Kaisa's mind attacked her like this it was loud. That was a good thing though. It meant 'She' could catch up on it and pull the young girl out of the darkness. At that moment, Kaisa's mind was causing a cacophony of noise. 'She' lifted 'Her' head from the inky pool of hair and ran her teeth along the pale skin of Kaisa's neck. This caused the young girl to whimper at the feel of sharp teeth and shuffle closer to 'Her'. As 'She' laughs warm air cascade across the young woman's neck and she sighs content.

"You can relax, don't worry. I'll watch over you, my sweet Adara."

 **Hello everyone, I am the author of** ** _Solfyre_** **and I am proud to say that every character and plot detail is a product of my own mind. This has been a pet project of mine since my Freshman year of high school and I would love to see if people will fall in love with these characters just I have. I'm open to questions, not spoilers, and comments, especially the negative kind, so feel free to message me. My tumblr is dammitcarlisaidno if you would rather interact with me on that site. I may or may not decide to blog about** ** _Solfyre_** **. -KJ**


	2. Chapter 2

h1Chapter Two/h1  
p class="MsoNormal" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanThere was a 'click' and then a shuddering as though the building experienced a sudden chill. Such a thing occurred around Rec. time when the magical barriers were reinforced to prepare for the inmates to intermingle with one another. This meant 'Pants would soon come to collect the women. Rolling over at the sound of footfalls, Kaisa discovered a lack of warm arms holding her close to a warm body. Her heart began to race and tears instantly sprung to her eyes./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanem style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"'She' left. I'm alone. 'She's gone. 'She' left me all alone./em/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span/em"Shh… don't fret, Adara. I'm sorry, I didn't know you would wake as soon as I got out of bed."/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanAt the sound of 'Her' voice, Kaisa is even more sorrowful. She was 'Her' cage. Disallowing flight, escape, from a place 'She' never belonged and never will. Unlike Kaisa, 'She' had committed no crimes. 'She' had simply fallen for someone who didn't have 'Her' best intentions at heart. Kaisa wasn't even sure the prick had a heart./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanWarmth swallowed Kaisa's hand as 'She' helped sit the young girl up. Kaisa still wasn't wearing part of her uniform and some slight adjustments had to be made to the room so the two women wouldn't get in trouble for sleeping in the same bed again./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Quickly, we don't have much time they are almost here. Even my ears can pick up on that. Put on your stockings. I grabbed them for you." Kaisa looked down at the gray stockings in 'Her' hand and winced. She hated the uniform the women in the facility had to wear. Seeing as the young girl was not moving to dress herself 'She' sighed and began to deftly roll the fabric up the girl's legs as far as they would go, to rest on her thighs. The men of the facility also had to wear the linen dress but they were permitted to wear leggings instead of the stockings. Perhaps, if Kaisa was of a shorter stature the uniform wouldn't present itself as being so… provocative. Due to their height both women had a bold strip of skin that would begin at the bottom of their dresses and end at the top of their thigh-high stockings. It didn't seem to bother 'Her' as much as it did Kaisa but that was because 'She' could use the lust from others' wandering eyes. Kaisa always felt like a floozy showing so much skin, especially when the 'Pants and guests would stare./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span'She' pulled Kaisa to her feet and acknowledge the fear in the younger woman's eyes. This was always the hardest part of the day. The extraction process always seemed to cause Kaisa to revert back to old habits she had developed during her solitary confinement days. Seeing them drag 'Her' away made Kaisa's mind depend more on instincts than logic. Most of the 'Pants knew to treat the girl with the utmost care less they wanted to end up in the medical bay burnt to a crisp. It was still a traumatic experience for the two woman. One that they went through every day, like clockwork./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanThe two clung to one another in a needy embrace before 'She' shuffled to the other side of the room where she ripped the clean sheets from 'Her' bed to roll into a ball at the end of the bed. The process was meant to make the bed look slept in so the nature of the relationship between the two women wasn't discovered and exploited. Kaisa fixed her eyes upon the face of her cell mate and watched as the loving expression bled from her features till it became a passive, blank canvas. Forcing herself to calm down, the younger woman took deep breathes./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanIt was working./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanThen the door swung open./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span'Pants rushed into the room carrying batons and charmed cuffs. Those were for Kaisa. The charmed metal bracelets were designed to weaken and prevent those like me from using magic and manipulating our element. Tears sprung to Kaisa's eyes. She hadn't been hit by a baton in at least a year. Hell, she had barely laid eyes on one. Something was wrong here. Slightly panicky, the ravenette scanned the faces of the 'Pants and nearly burst into tears./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanVic wasn't amongst the group and even worse the 'Pants were rookies. They wouldn't know how to treat her during the extraction process. She would hurt them. She wouldn't want to but she would. Kaisa's eyes flickered to 'Her' registering the tense set of her shoulders and concern in her hard eyes. 'She' was highly aware of how bad this situation could turn out for 'Her' Adara… and there was nothing she could do to prevent it. Just like 'She' couldn't prevent Stacy's fate. 'She' watched as Kaisa stumbled back into the corner of the room, whimpering with wild, frightened eyes./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanTwo 'Pants split off from the group and seized 'Her' by the arms. 'She' didn't fight back, no matter how much she wanted to, 'She' allowed herself to become pliable. The rookie 'Pants pulled 'Her' head to the side to expose 'Her' neck. A growl emitted for the ravenette at the harsh act. 'She' didn't wince at the sharp prick of the syringe and instead silently wished 'Her' Adara the best of luck. The girl would need it./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanSaid girl watched as the drug started to take ahold on the older woman. She witnessed the light in 'Her' eyes dulled and 'Her' stony expression grew hazy and soft. The chemical cocktail administered had been designed to keep 'Her' calm, sated and, quite frankly, stupid. Now, that the older woman had grown limp in the hold on the 'Pants, they dragged her out of the room leaving the ravenette quaking in the corner./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanHer instincts had started to take over her as her flame pressed against its vessel sensing the danger emanating off the intruding men. The rest of the group that wasn't escorting the older woman moved further into the small room to the corner where the younger woman was crouched in. Those who had been with the facility longer and worked with Kaisa in her early days gravitated towards the back of the group with grave faces. They knew what the young lady was capable of but weren't willing to speak out against the reckless behavior of the new guys./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanIt was one of these dimwitted louts that decided to make the first move against the young woman who was obviously having a hard time not giving in to the massive urge to incapacitate and maim. Kaisa's pale arm was encircled in a painfully tight grasp and she gasped before a metal cuff was secured around her wrist. A wave of nausea fell over the girl. It was the damn cuff; drawing Kaisa's energy like a magnet leaving her feeling weaker than usual since she wasn't drawing excess energy from the systems surrounding her. She fell to her knees hoping they would take it as a sign that she wouldn't fight back and would refrain from pushing her limits. The ravenette even raised her arms, hands open, in the signal for surrender. She didn't want to fight./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;"Everything seemed a bit fuzzy around the edges and she was desperately trying to fight through the initial weakness that came when first putting the cuff on. While on her knees, surrounded by hostiles and weakened, Kaisa allowed her hazy gaze to fall on the man in front of her. He was wearing a disgusted snarl and his eyes glinted with amusement. His posture was meant to intimidate and yet his expression was a bit too dramatic to pull off what he was going for./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;"Kaisa did not falter and continued to stare the man down with a neutral if not a bit tired look on her pale face. The nausea had already begun to recede and she felt stronger than mere seconds before. However, she remained kneeling to avoid further conflict instead of pouncing on the man in front of her and throttling him due to his idiocy. Her one mistake had to have been that she continued to hold his gaze with a cool detached air. For when he realized Kaisa wasn't going to fully submit to him the amusement chipped away to leave rage./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;"She didn't see the baton as it struck her, the brutish momentum causing her to collapse onto her right shoulder, but even if she did Kaisa wouldn't have prevented the blow from landing. Doing so would only cause the situation to escalate further and Kaisa was aware of the consequences. Instead she merely focused on her breathing instead of the painful throbbing of her head and the ringing of her ears./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"Breathe. Don't fight back. Breathe. Don't attack them. Breathe. She's waiting for you./em/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;"The ringing gave way to mischievous giggles and her body went limp. A swift kick landed and tossed her onto her back. Kaisa trembled. Not in fear. Not in pain. She trembled due to the effort of holding herself back./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;"There was a pause between blows and Kaisa was allowed to struggle, cuffed, back into a kneeling position. Her body throbbed and ached and all she wanted was to go back to those peaceful moments where she was being held, not beaten./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;"Kaisa wheezed. Surely her ribs were severely bruised and she was angry, furious really, that there was nothing she could do./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;"A fistful of inky locks was fisted in a sweaty palm, pulling her head back to bare her throat. It was a submissive pose. Fucking Pants. He looked like Adolf Hitler's wet dream complete with an arrogant snarl and all. There was once a day she wouldn't have hesitated to beat the shit out of pricks like him./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;""Look at her," he pulled Kaisa higher off her knees by her hair. "You know what they say about her, don't you boys?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;"The greenhorns in the room shook their head no and the veterans paled and slipped out the door. She felt nauseous and her breathing was labored. Kaisa had broken out in a feverish sweat and goddess how she trembled! It was as though the Earth Conductors had created an earthquake and set it loose under Kaisa only. span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;""This bitch, she's the worst of the lot. Not even her cellmate has done what this one has and she doesn't even have a soul."/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;"He forcefully released her hair; pitching her forward but Kaisa did not fall. It felt like a hot metal rod had replaced her spine. These men were living on borrowed time. span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;""Stop."/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;"It came out weaker than a whisper and Kaisa wasn't sure if she was talking to herself or her abusers. Their provocations were working. Whispers of memories she had tried to keep locked away for so long pressed and throbbed against her consciousness./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;""Stop? You want me to stop?" He crouched down to look her in the eye./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;""You didn't stop!" Spittle flew in her face and Kaisa closed her eyes./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;""There were children. Did you know that, boys?" Kaisa couldn't stop it, not now and not then./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;"Angry shouting filled the room. Kaisa was flanked by two men and all she could do was watch as the leader rolled up the cuffs on his uniform./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;""What were their names, again?" Kaisa was blindsided by a blow to head./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;""Quilo." Another blow. Kaisa's eye was swelling./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;""Lumi." She was struck again. Her lip was bleeding now. She could feel the blood, hot./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;""Lyn."/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;"By the time the forth blow fell, Kaisa had begun retreating into her mind. She felt and heard through a thick pane of glass. She was sure she was more bruise than person but that didn't matter. She was letting go. A pleasant tingling had started in her chest and was beginning to flow throughout her body. The warmth washed over her broken ribs and began mending them, ebbed over bruises and they, too, faded to yellow and ceased to exist./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;"The blows stopped when they noticed the thin smile that pulled at her torn lip. Kaisa's muscled coiled ready to spring up and-/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;""What the 'ell you think you doin'? Provokin' 'er will only get you bastards killed!"/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;"That voice. Kaisa's eyes darted to the entrance of the room and fixed upon her most favourite person in the world at that moment, Vic. His eyes met hers briefly before fixing upon the last veteran in the room./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;""I knew they were breaking in the new recruits today, but this is just evil of 'em!" Vic stepped away from the door and the last veteran fled the room taking the pungent smell of fear with him. Kaisa shifted her focus to the leader. He refused to acknowledge Vic and instead stared her down like she was a piece of gum stuck to the bottom of his shoe. Vic glared at the newbies focusing on the two that had been holding Kaisa up./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;""Git! And don't worry about 'em higher ups. I will be speakin' to 'em blokes later."/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;"Some of them made a move to leave but the one holding my gaze spoke up./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;""No, we're staying. Won't we, boys?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;"Nodding, the idiots stayed put. Kaisa ripped her gaze away and watched as Vic straightened to bask in all his mountainous sized glory. With his shoulders pulled back, he put on an impressive display./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;""No, now listen 'ere kid, you're gonna' take your arse out of 'ere and your 'boys' are gonna' follow like the pathetic cats they are or else the dog's gonna' get ya'." Vic's lip curled back from his teeth in a snarl./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;"Vic is a canine and the best kind: a wolf. Most werewolves ended up a resident of the facility by having taken a life or experienced an emotional breakdown due to the pressure of not being able to shift for extended periods of time. Vic was one of the lucky ones. He was raised in seclusion which allowed him to change frequently enough to keep his sanity. Kaisa had no clue why he decided to dedicate part of his life to a god-awful place like this./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;"Dumbass shifted into a more defensive stance, eliciting a growl from Vic. His green eyes twisted into orange and his lips curled back to reveal deadly fangs. Kaisa swayed on her feet and sniffed the air. They had begun to perspire. Vic knew it too. Kaisa could see his nostrils flaring./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;"He gestured to the door and they began to leave. Kaisa caught dumbass's eyes once more and was pleased to see him flinch. Her body hummed with the energy she had been able to gather from the plethora of emotions that bled from the Pants. The act of binding the energy to herself presented itself physically as a warning. When Vic and dumbass were chatting so politely she let the energy power her. The skin beneath Kaisa's eyes warmed and as blood capillaries rose to the surface to look as though she had been burned. Her eyes darkened and the pupils slit like a cat's. 'She' thought Kaisa was em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"strangely alluring /emlike thisem style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"./em/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/emKaisa lifted her chin in defiance and his expression devolved into utter contempt. Backing out of the room, he didn't waste his last chance to strike her down./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;""Murderer."/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;"The hatful energy burned through Kaisa. There was no trying to calm down at this point. She snapped and lunged forth screeching snarling like a feral animal and was caught up in Vic's restraining arms./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;""Get out of 'ere! Now, dammit!"/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;"Kaisa squirmed and thrashed but never once lashed out a Vic. Subconsciously, Kaisa's body realized the level of pent up energy within was reaching a dangerous point. So, she began releasing it into her surroundings./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;"The proverbial floodgates opened and the abandoned food burst into flames as her metal bed frame began to warp and melt. Bulbs overhead grew blindingly bright until they burst, raining down hot shards of glass. Kaisa's snarls turned to whimpers, then sobs. Vic continued to hold her contained in his arms as the energy dispelled. The activity, along with the girl, quieted./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;"Upon noticing the dying of flames, Vic sat Kaisa down on the bed and did his best to organize the disaster. Her body slumped, spent. She was quivering pathetically, stuck within her own head once more./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"Murderer. Murderer. Murderess. Murder./em/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;"A veil of grief and bitter remembrance descended across her eyes. She was no longer sitting on a sorry excuse for a bed in a freezing cell of a room./p 


	3. Chapter 3

h1Chapter Three/h1  
p class="MsoNormal" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanShe was there. Sitting at the dinner table, surrounded by aunts and uncles and their respective brood. Her cousins were sitting around her. She saw them all. Everyone-/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;"No. Not everyone. Someone was missing./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;"The youngest, Lilija, was not present. Typically, the young girl never left Kaisa's side. She would sit to her left at meal times, whispering what little French she knew to the older girl. Kaisa studied the wooden chair. Her mouth hung open slightly as she ran her fingers over the small carvings in the seat. There was a small bird and daisy. Lilija added more details when she got bored with meal time politics./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;""Kaisa?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;"Her head swiveled away from the empty seat to look at em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"mother/em. The woman tilted her head, black hair drifting over her shoulder. She wasn't Kaisa's mother, not really. She was her father's sister. Thus, making her Kaisa's aunt. She was an amazing woman./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;""Would you mind fetching Lila?" She gestured with full arms to the old chair. "I believe she's at the creek trying to make frogs again."/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;"Kaisa's gaze moved to beyond the open Dutch door to the tree line. The creek lied beyond the dense oaks. Swallowing, she looked back, "yes, of course, Aunt Tali." Fear, oppressive, bore down on Kaisa. She felt like she was being stalked by death herself./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;"Yet, her body still rose from its red chair; her pale, ruddy hands smoothed out her long black dress./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;"Tali's smile faltered and her eyebrows pulled her expression into a frown./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;""Honestly, Kaisa, you've been here a few years now. You can call me mother, you know? I would prefer it even. I love you like my own," She cleared her throat and straightened. "Kareah will be home tomorrow and she wants you to call her."/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;"Kareah, her blood sister, her twin, had been training with an elder warlock because she was having trouble suppressing her soulfyre./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"How do you make it look so easy, Kaisa?/em/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;"Kaisa remembered how tired Kareah's eyes looked when she asked this. It had been a few days before her departure and she had been shadow wondering about the house. Kaisa hadn't responded. The truth was, still is, that suppressing the core of their very nature wasn't easy./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;"Her skin felt cold and clammy, her teeth ached and she felt as though she was an unstable explosive./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;""Thank you for telling me… mother."/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;"Aunt Tali's gray eyes twinkled and setting the plates she was holding on the table. Kaisa's body turned and walked out the Dutch door. She wanted to cry, desperately, as she turned away from the most loving woman the world has ever seen and her spastic, lovely family./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;"The grass tickled her bare feet and was hushed by the thick, black fabric of her dress. Kaisa broke through the tree line and began stepping over fallen trees and large rocks. Cool air blew Kaisa's hair from her face and the black strands dancing like shadows. The further she moved into the trees, the louder the sounds of flowing water became and soon they were accompanied by the glittering giggles of Lilija./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;"She was sitting by the creek watching as the water creatures she created danced about her. The wind blew even colder this time and taking air into her lungs caused her soulfyre to flare up in revolt. Kaisa hissed. Thick, white steam rising from her lips. Wrapping pale arms around herself, she called out; not daring to grow to close to the water./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;""Lilija!"/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;"Her brown head popped up and her blue eyes froze on Kaisa. She smiled and the creatures began to shudder and pop returning to their original watery forms./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;"span lang="FR" style="mso-ansi-language: FR;""Kaisa ! Venez ici ! Je veux te montrer mon nouveau truc !"/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;"span lang="FR" style="mso-ansi-language: FR;"« Non, nous devons aller. Ta mère a fait le repas. /spanC'est ton favori. »/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;"Lilija's face pulled together in confusion and after a moment she shook her head./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;""I don't understand all that. You speak too quickly."/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;"Kaisa sighed and held out her hand. Lilija stood and the older girl noticed that her light blue tunic and white tights were damp and here boots caked with creek silt. Once the smaller girls chilled hand slipped into Kaisa's, they started walking back to the cottage. The older girl helped the younger over fallen trees and boulders./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;""Do you think mama will be angry with me?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;"Kaisa frowned, "Why would she be angry with you?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;""I'm all messy and won't be able to clean up before supper."/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;"Kaisa smiled gently and stopped to pluck a few leaves from Lilija's hair./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;""You're always messy. It's part of your / "But we have company tonight!"/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;"Kaisa pulled her over another rock and rolled her orange eyes./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;""Ivy is here for supper every night and it isn't as though she cares if your shoes are muddy."/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;"Lilija shook her head, "Not Ivy! I'm talking about three of father's friends I saw walking up to the house not long before you came to get me."/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;"Chapter Three/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;"She was there. Sitting at the dinner table, surrounded by aunts and uncles and their respective brood. Her cousins were sitting around her. She saw them all. Everyone-/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;"No. Not everyone. Someone was missing./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;"The youngest, Lilija, was not present. Typically, the young girl never left Kaisa's side. She would sit to her left at meal times, whispering what little French she knew to the older girl. Kaisa studied the wooden chair. Her mouth hung open slightly as she ran her fingers over the small carvings in the seat. There was a small bird and daisy. Lilija added more details when she got bored with meal time politics./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;""Kaisa?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;"Her head swiveled away from the empty seat to look at mother. The woman tilted her head, black hair drifting over her shoulder. She wasn't Kaisa's mother, not really. She was her father's sister. Thus, making her Kaisa's aunt. She was an amazing woman. /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;""Would you mind fetching Lila?" She gestured with full arms to the old chair. "I believe she's at the creek trying to make frogs again."/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;"Kaisa's gaze moved to beyond the open Dutch door to the tree line. The creek lied beyond the dense oaks. Swallowing, she looked back, "yes, of course, Aunt Tali." Fear, oppressive, bore down on Kaisa. She felt like she was being stalked by death herself. /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;"Yet, her body still rose from its red chair; her pale, ruddy hands smoothed out her long black dress./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;"Tali's smile faltered and her eyebrows pulled her expression into a frown./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;""Honestly, Kaisa, you've been here a few years now. You can call me mother, you know? I would prefer it even. I love you like my own," She cleared her throat and straightened. "Kareah will be home tomorrow and she wants you to call her."/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;"Kareah, her blood sister, her twin, had been training with an elder warlock because she was having trouble suppressing her soulfyre. /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;"How do you make it look so easy, Kaisa?/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;"Kaisa remembered how tired Kareah's eyes looked when she asked this. It had been a few days before her departure and she had been shadow wondering about the house. Kaisa hadn't responded. The truth was, still is, that suppressing the core of their very nature wasn't easy./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;"Her skin felt cold and clammy, her teeth ached and she felt as though she was an unstable explosive./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;""Thank you for telling me… mother."/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;"Aunt Tali's gray eyes twinkled and setting the plates she was holding on the table. Kaisa's body turned and walked out the Dutch door. She wanted to cry, desperately, as she turned away from the most loving woman the world has ever seen and her spastic, lovely family./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;"The grass tickled her bare feet and was hushed by the thick, black fabric of her dress. Kaisa broke through the tree line and began stepping over fallen trees and large rocks. Cool air blew Kaisa's hair from her face and the black strands dancing like shadows. The further she moved into the trees, the louder the sounds of flowing water became and soon they were accompanied by the glittering giggles of Lilija. /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;"She was sitting by the creek watching as the water creatures she created danced about her. The wind blew even colder this time and taking air into her lungs caused her soulfyre to flare up in revolt. Kaisa hissed. Thick, white steam rising from her lips. Wrapping pale arms around herself, she called out; not daring to grow to close to the water./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;""Lilija!"/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;"Her brown head popped up and her blue eyes froze on Kaisa. She smiled and the creatures began to shudder and pop returning to their original watery forms./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;""Kaisa ! Venez ici ! Je veux te montrer mon nouveau truc !"/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;"« Non, nous devons aller. Ta mère a fait le repas. C'est ton favori. »/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;"Lilija's face pulled together in confusion and after a moment she shook her head./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;""I don't understand all that. You speak too quickly."/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;"Kaisa sighed and held out her hand. Lilija stood and the older girl noticed that her light blue tunic and white tights were damp and here boots caked with creek silt. Once the smaller girls chilled hand slipped into Kaisa's, they started walking back to the cottage. The older girl helped the younger over fallen trees and boulders./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;""Do you think mama will be angry with me?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;"Kaisa frowned, "Why would she be angry with you?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;""I'm all messy and won't be able to clean up before supper."/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;"Kaisa smiled gently and stopped to pluck a few leaves from Lilija's hair./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;""You're always messy. It's part of your charm./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;""But we have company tonight!"/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;"Kaisa pulled her over another rock and rolled her orange eyes./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;""Ivy is here for supper every night and it isn't as though she cares if your shoes are muddy." /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;"Lilija shook her head, "Not Ivy! I'm talking about three of father's friends I saw walking up to the house not long before you came to get me."/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;"strongDecided to post multiple chapters at once. Not sure how many I will upload today but I hope it will encourage more people to read and review. Again, all ideas and characters are of my own imagination. FAIR WARNING: the story will get darker and darker as it develops. I labeled the story as M for mature audiences but I can tag for any serious triggers: self-mutilation, rape, graphic scenes and language, etc. That does not guarantee that this story will include those topics. I understand that I missed this in the first chapter. Thank you for being apart of The Escape./strong/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;" /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt; line-height: 200%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;" /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/span/p 


	4. Chapter 4

**_THE END OF THIS CHAPTER WILL DEPICT GRAPHIC VIOLENCE_**

Chapter Four

Kaisa fizzled out. Dread replaced the blood in her veins. Uncle Crane wasn't expecting any company. The man had refused to invite anyone from the Pharmacy for months. No one outside the family had been to the cottage, Ivy being the exception, since Quilo decided it would be funny to dump snow on Kareah's head whilst she slept. Having been on edge for weeks, Kareah set her own bed on fire. Uncle Crane had forbidden guests after that. Kaisa believed he feared the hunters would catch wind where they settled one county over in Crow's Creek.

Whoever Lilija has seen had not been invited onto the property.

Grabbing Lilija's shoulders, Kaisa sat on her knees to look into the young girls icy blue eyes.

"Lilija, listen to me and think. What did these people look like?"

No matter how hard she tried, Kaisa couldn't keep the fear from seeping into her voice and the tension from building in her shoulders. Lilija's lower lip began to quake and tears sprung to her eyes. The younger girl had always been perceptive but Kaisa knew the terror painted on her features plainly was not helping. Moving from Lilija's shoulders, Kaisa cupped the younger girls face in her palms and swiped at frozen tears.

"Lilija, mon ange, you're not in trouble, but Crane and Tali might be. You have to tell me what you saw!"

With one more sob Lilija scrambled into Kaisa's arms. The older tried to soothe her by stroking her hair but her own hands were shaking.

"There was three of them, tall. I think they were men. I don't know. They were wearing black robes with a strange silver piece on them."

"A silver piece?" She nodded. "What did it look like?"

The girl never responded. She was too upset to catch her breath properly. Kaisa scooped her up into her arms and began dipping through the forest as fast as she could to the tree line. Stones and sticks cut the bottoms of Kaisa's feet and her soulfyre flared sensing a masked threat.

She could just see the clearing when she heard it. The crying, terrified screams… the sounds of something tearing… Kaisa stopped. It was too late for them. Providing a warning had been the only way she could have helped. By the Lady, she was only fifteen and lacked experience dealing with intruders during an attack. If they weren't already defeated, entering the house would only lead to Kaisa suffering the same fate. Lilija squirmed in Kaisa's arms and tried to push her away. The younger girl would be left vulnerable if Kaisa went and got herself slaughtered.

"Kaisa, you're too hot! Please, put me down."

She didn't listen. Instead, Kaisa held on tighter frantically looking around for a place to hide. Her eyes flittered over bushes and trees and found an impression in the ground. She roughly arranged Lilija in the impression. The young girl's clothes were singed in some spots. Kaisa's soulfyre was dangerously out of control and was beginning to seep into the surroundings.

Kaisa put a finger to Lilija's lips to quiet the girl and then rushed to begin covering her with fallen branches, moss, dirt and leaves. It wasn't perfect. However, it was enough to keep her hidden from immediate view.

The sounds of chaos continued to play in the background and Kaisa took a moment to thank the Lady that the young girl's senses wouldn't develop for years to come. Doubling over, Kaisa vomited when Eira's screams were cut short with a growl and a splat. Wiping her mouth, Kaisa picked up a hefty branch and stood guard over Lilija's hiding place.

By this time Kaisa could no longer pass for an Ice Manipulator. Her body was showing the physical sign of her true nature as a Fire Twister. Her body warmed and the capillaries beneath her eyes rose to the surface giving the appearance of too much rouge beneath her eyes. Eyes that had darkened with pupils slit like a cat's.

The smell of burning wood filled Kaisa's nostrils and she didn't have to look down to know the limb she had been holding was slowly soldering. She whirled, canvasing her surroundings. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Kaisa had noticed the screaming had stopped. The only sounds now belonged to the wind whipping though the trees. She didn't feel the cold.

There were no sounds of chaos, fighting… surviving. They were all gone. Aunt Tali, Uncle Crane, Aunt Nerine, Eira, Lumi, Neve, Quilo, Gwenyth, Guinevere, Gwendolyn and thier friend, Ivy. Her lungs burned and her body shook. Lilija whimpered and Kaisa knelt to look through a small crevice in the logs. The young girl was pale and tears streamed down her face. Oh, but her eyes! They were wide with terror staring into Kaisa's looking, but not seeing.

A crash came from the cottage and Kaisa's head shot up to look around. She looked back at Lilija and her wide eyes. Her presence would only attract unwanted attention to Lilija's hiding place and they desperately needed to call for help. All the phones were inside the cottage. It was quiet now. The silence clung to Kaisa like a wet blanket. It drew her under gloomy waters with its somber nothingness. Not even the birds dared to carry a note. The air was too heavy with tension. Something was wrong. More so now than before.

Kaisa pinched her eyes shut tight. When she opened them again she had access to her third eye sight. She could now see the auras and life energies of the things and creatures around her. Kaisa spun, searching, for any signs of danger. She had lowered her guard slightly when she saw **it**.

 **If you have a weak stomach it will only get worse from here. Are you as strong as Kaisa?**


End file.
